Wedge through type closure for dock door

ABSTRACT

A wedge-through type closure for a dock door adapted to be installed around a dock door in a building wall and project therefrom forming a construction through which the rear end of a truck, trailer, or similar vehicle may be wedged. The closure includes resilient jamb and lintel members hung from the top cover means. Each of the jamb members comprises a pair of long flexible panels of fabric or the like. A first panel of each pair is connected to the building wall along a lateral edge thereof and it is disposed in a sidewardly facing position. The second jamb panel is disposed in a frontwardly facing position and it has one of its lateral edges connected to an adjacent lateral edge of the first panel providing the jamb with an L-shape crosssection. Lower support and closure foam blocks are disposed along the lower edges of each first or side jamb panel and they are arranged to work between the building wall and an associated second or front jamb panel. The lintel member is provided with a bellows-like structure arranged to sealingly receive the top rear corners of the vehicle body. The jamb and lintel members are resiliently deflected, inwardly upon wedging-contact with such a vehicle and engage against the top and sides thereof to maintain a substantial closure.

[ 1 New. 20, W73

[ WEDGE THROUGH TYPE CLOSURE FOR DOCK DOOR [76] Inventor: Lawrence J.Timbers, 1317 E. 260

St., Mentor, Ohio 44132 22 Filed: May 10, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 141,475

Primary Examiner-Alfred C. Perham Att0meyMcNenny, Farrington, Pearne &Gordon [57] ABSTRACT A wedge-through type closure for a dock dooradapted to be installed around a dock door in a building wall andproject therefrom forming a construction through which the rear end of atruck, trailer, or similar vehicle may be wedged. The closure includesresilient jamb and lintel members hung from the top cover means. Each ofthe jamb members comprises a pair of long flexible panels of fabric orthe like. A first panel of each pair is connected to the building wallalong a lateral edge thereof and it is disposed in a sidewardly facingposition. The second jamb panel is disposed in a frontwardly facingposition and it has one of its lateral edges connected to an adjacentlateral edge of the first panel providing the jamb with an L-shapecrosssection. Lower support and closure foam blocks are disposed alongthe lower edges of each first or side jamb panel and they are arrangedto work between the building wall and an associated second or front jambpanel. The lintel member is provided with a bellowslike structurearranged to sealingly receive the top rear comers of the vehicle body.The jamb and lintel members are resiliently deflected, inwardly uponwedging-contact with such a vehicle and engage against the top and sidesthereof to maintain a substantial closure.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PAIENIEU um 20 I973 SHEET 1 CF 2 ArraeuzrrWEDGE THROUGH TYPE CLOSURE FOR DOCK DOOR FIELD OF INVENTION Thisinvention generally relates to dock door closures of the type designedto be mounted around a dock door for cooperation with a truck or similarvehicle having its door opening disposed adjacent thereto and, moreparticularly, to a closure of the wedge-through type which sealinglyreceives the rear portions of such a vehicle to engage and maintain asubstantial closure with the top and sides thereof.

PRIOR ART A number of prior art devices for the sealing or enclosure ofdock doors during the loading and unloading of trucks, trailers andsimilar vehicles have been provided. Such devices are, of course,utilized to prevent heat losses in cold weather and/or facilitatemaintenance of air conditioned or cooled building environments in warmweather. These devices may be generally characterized as either dockdoor seal units or dock door enclosure units. Although both of thesetypes of units have been considered satisfactory in the past, each ofthem has certain deficiencies which are discussed below. In addition,the advantages of both types of units have not heretofore beeneffectively and economically combined in a single unit.

A dock door seal type unit typically comprises a number of resilientpads or cushions surrounding the dock door opening in the building walland arranged to engage the body of a vehicle adjacent the periphery of avehicle door opening therein. Accordingly, a truck or vehicle is backedagainst or positioned against the pads or cushions so as to directlycompress them and form a seal about the periphery of the opening in thevehicle. The efficiency of this type of seal is a direct function of thedegree of compression of the pads and the alignment of the truck. Thepads or cushions are generally substantially crushed or compressed bythe vehicle in useage although a lesser degree of compression wouldprovide an effective seal.

The necessary contiguous relationship of the vehicle and seal unitresults in a number of problems. For example, any vertical movement ofthe vehicle due to the removal of a load therein or the placement of aload therein transmits a vertical loading to the seal structure whichmust be provided for if the tearing of the pads or cushions as well aspossible damage to the mounting of the seal unit is to be avoided. Thepresence of any irregularly projecting structure about the periphery ofthe truck door, for example door hinges or ledges, magnifies thisproblem.

The repetitive compression loading of the pads or cushions of the sealunit may result in permanent collapse thereof. For example, flexibleurethane foam is frequently used as the resilient material in such padsor cushions and it is subject to such collapse. Of course, the permanentcollapse of the foam or loss of resiliency results in a less effectiveseal.

The enclosure type unit may be generally character- I tially throughthis opening to a position adjacent the dock door and the fabric isdraped or otherwise positioned against the top and sides of the truckbody. The efficiency of such a closure is dependant upon the tendency ofthe fabric to seal about the top and sides of the truck. It is apparentthat the unbiased fabric does not provide as effective a seal with thevehicle body as the resilient pads or cushions of a dock seal type unit.

A primary disadvantage of prior art dock door enclosure units is thenecessity of a rigid frame or structure for support of the fabric. Sincethe rigid frame projects outwardly from the building wall anymisalignment of the truck or vehicle in its approach to the dock doormay result in substantial damage to the frame. In an effort to avoidthis problem, the prior art teaches the use of rigid metal bumpersmounted on the building wall and extending outwardly beyond the rigidframe for protection thereof. Such bumpers are expensive and may resultin damage to the vehicle. In addition, repeated contact of the bumpersmay result in working them free from their mountings on the wall as wellas damage to the wall itself.

Another serious problem encountered in prior art enclosure type units isthe failure to form an effective seal adjacent the top corner areas ofthe truck or vehicle. In many instances, this problem is a result ofimproper coaction of the jamb and lintel members of the closure. Forexample, these members are typically connected adjacent the abuttingedges thereof or overlapped to form a seal. In the latter case, thelintel member is often positioned outwardly of and over the upperportions of the jamb members and it extends across the entire width ofthe enclosure unit. In either instance, the connection or overlapping ofthe members results in concurrent or reactionary movement between themembers which tends to result in dependent movement of one of themembers without contact thereof by a portion of the truck or vehicle. Ofcourse, such movement results in a space which is not effectively sealedbetween that portion of the jamb or lintel member subjected to suchmovement and the adjacent portion of the vehicle.

In an effort to overcome this problem, the prior art teaches a somewhatmodified lintel member in U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,508. In this enclosure,the fabric-like lintel member includes a central portion bounded by apair of integral triangular pleats arranged to be normally foldedbetween overlying and underlying portions of the lintel member toprovide a generally uniplanar lintel configuration. The pleats foldoutwardly upon initial engagement of the lintel member with a vehiclepermitting the central portion of the lintel member to be deflectedinwardly. Although this structure may mitigate to some extent theconcurrent or reactionary movement problem discussed above, thefabric-like material of the lintel member is subjected to thedeleterious effects of repetitive folding and unfolding along the pleatfold lines. Further the unfolding or opening of the pleat which iscontiguously disposed between additional portions of the lintel membermay result in abrasion type wear, particularly where the pleat may beforcibly dragged across the line of contact between the dock pad and thetruck rear opening.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention provides a dock doortruck-towall closure of a wedge-through type. The enclosure includesjamb and lintel members designed to be mounted on a building wall arounda dock door opening and define a truck receiving opening outwardlyspaced therefrom. The members are resiliently deflected inwardly uponwedging engagement with the vehicle and maintain substantial closurewith the sides and top thereof. Lower support and closure meansassociated with the lower portion of each jamb are provided for formingan effective seal in this area and ensuring resilient engagement of thejamb members with the sides of the truck. The enclosure is free of rigidbreakable members in those portions thereof which are subject toengagement with aligned or misaligned vehicles.

In the illustrated embodiment, the enclosure includes rigid top covermeans projecting outwardly from the building wall at a height greaterthan that of commercial trucks and trailers. The jamb and lintel membersare hung from the top cover means and each jamb member comprises a pairof long flexible panels. A first panel of each jamb member has a lateraledge thereof secured to the building wall and it is disposed in asidewardly facing position. The second panel is disposed in afrontwardly facing position and it has a lateral edge thereof connectedto the lateral edge of the first panel spaced from the wall to providethe jamb member with an L-shape cross-section. The side jamb panel isformed of fabric and the front panel is formed of flexible foam enclosedin a fabric covering.

The lower support and closure means comprise a pair of elongated blocksof flexible foam. One of such blocks is mounted adjacent the lower edgeof each of the side jamb panels in a pocket provided by the side paneland extends outwardly from the building wall to the back side of thefront jamb panel. Thus, when the front jamb panels are deflectedinwardly by wedgingengagement with the body of a vehicle, the front jambpanels cooperate with the blocks to form a lower seal and be resilientlyurged against the sides of the vehicle.

The lintel member comprises a fabric covered, flexible foam panel whichis disposed between the front jamb panels. The lateral edges of thefabric covered lintel panel are connected to accordion-pleated fabricbellows extending to lintel flaps which overlie the upper portions ofthe front jamb panels.

As set forth in greater detail hereinafter, the enclosure of the presentinvention provides the advantages of both dock door seal and enclosuretype units while substantially eliminating the prior art problemsdescribed above. In addition, the enclosure of the present invention maybe inexpensively manufactured and installed.

Initially, it should be appreciated that the enclosure of the presentinvention provides the advantages of an enclosure type unit withoututilizing a rigid frame which may be damaged by a misaligned truck orvehicle. Specifically, only the top cover means is rigid and it ispositioned at a sufficient height to substantially avoid engagement withcommercial vehicles.

The cooperation of the foam front jamb panels and the lower supportenclosure means provides sealing engagement with the vehicle body of adegree characteristic of the dock door seal type units. This is achievedwithout detrimental engagement and deformation of resilient memberswhich may eventually result in the permanent collapse thereof. Inaddition, since there is no direct compression sufficient to transmitvertical loading, the vertical movement of a vehicle during loading andunloading does not result in the tearing of the enclosure or substantialwear as a result of such movement. This advantage is achieved withoutthe expense associated with multiple fabric coverings and/or springmountedvertically displacable structures as taught by the prior art.

The problems encountered in the prior art enclosure type units withrespect to formation of a seal adjacent the top corners of the vehiclebody are also substantially eliminated by the present invention. Thebellows structure of the lintel member effectively girders and seals thetop rear comer portions of the vehicle body without concurrentreactionary movement of the jamb members out of sealing engagement. Eachof the accordion-pleats of the fabric bellows is normally disposed in aplane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the enclosure opening.Accordingly, the pleats fan rearwardly upon engagement of a vehicle withthe enclosure with a minimum of abrasive interplay and folding wear.Since the pleats are moved directly into a sealing position, each of thebellows is provided with a minimum of expanded or extended area toefficiently and economically achieve this result.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view withparts broken away of an enclosure embodying the present inventionmounted around a dock door in a building wall;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating themounting details of the enclosure shown in FIG. 1, with parts brokenaway and omitted for the purposes of clarity;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the enclosure shown in FIG. 1having a vehicle body in wedgingengagement therewith; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, thereis shown a dock door truck-to-wall enclosure 10 mounted on a buildingwall 12 around a dock door 14. The enclosure 10 includes top cover means16, oppositely disposed jamb members 18 and lintel member 20. The jamband lintel members cooperate to define a truck or vehicle receivingopening 22 which is outwardly spaced from the dock door and buildingwall.

The top cover means 16 includes a rigid metal frame 24 defined by angleiron members 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d which are arranged in a rectangularconfiguration. The angle iron 240 is secured to the building wall 12 bymeans of bolts 32 which extend through one leg of the angle member andare located at spaced intervals along the entire length thereof. Anangularly disposed, adjustable wire 34 is connected between the member24a and the building wall to provide additional support of the top covermeans. A coextensive top member 36 is disposed over the rectangularframe 24 and secured thereto. The top member may be formed of anysuitable material such as sheet metal, wood or plexiglass.

A vertical angle member 38 is secured to the building wall 12 adjacenteach side of the dock door 14. The members 38 extend downwardly from therearward comers of the frame 24 to a position substantially aligned withthe bottom of the dock door 14. Each of the members 38 is secured to itsassociated comer of the frame as well as the building wall. To that end,a first leg 38a of the member 36 is positioned against the wall andsecured thereto by bolts 32. The top cover means 16 is additionallysupported by a pair of angularly disposed knee braces 40 extendingbetween a second leg 38b of each of the vertical members 33 and anassociated angle member of the frame 24.

Each jamb member 18 is comprised of a pair of panels 18a and 18b. Thepanel 18b is disposed in a sidewardly facing position substantiallyperpendicular to the wall 12. The panel is formed of a flexible fabricwhich displays wear and weather resistant properties. An example of asuitable fabric is vinyl coated nylon having a weight of about 19 oz/ydThe panel 18b is connected to angle iron members 24d and 38 along itstop edge 42 and lateral edge 44 respectively. To that end, a pluralityof spaced mounting eyelets 46 are provided adjacent the edges 42 and 44and associated mounting holes 48 are provided in the angle members 24dand 38. Suitable fasteners such as bolts 50 are inserted through theeyelets 46 and the mounting holes 48 to secure the panel 16b to theangle members 24d and 38. It should be appreciated that the anglemembers may be provided with appropriately positioned studs (not shown)for engaging the eyelets instead of mounting holes 46 and bolts 50. Anoutwardly spaced lateral edge 45 of the panel 18b is secured to thepanel 18a as more fully described below.

The panel 18a of the jamb member 16 is disposed in a normally flatfrontwardly-facing position and it is hung from the angle iron member24a of the top cover means 16. The panel 18a comprises a flexible foamslab 52 for biasing the panel to a flat condition and it is enclosedwithin a removable fabric covering 54 (FIG. 2). Flexible polyurethanefoam having a thickness of about three inches has been found to be asuitable material for forming the slab 52 and resiliently biasing thepanel to its flat condition. The fabric covering 54 may be formed of thesame vinyl coated nylon material described above and it may be colorcoded to facilitate alignment of vehicles.

The panel member 16a is hung from the angle member 24a by a plurality ofcord loops 56. The cord loops are formed of a stretch type cord which iselastically extensible. The ends of each cord loop 56 extend through aneyelet 58in the fabric covering 54 and they are knotted together toretain them in place. The bolts 50 extend through the cord loops 56 andassociated mounting holes 64) in the angle member 24a. Thus, the panel18a is resiliently supported by the top cover means 116.

As indicated above, the panel 18b is secured to the panel 16a along theadjacent lateral edges thereof. Accordingly, the lateral edge 45 of thepanel 16b is sewn to the adjacent lateral edge of the fabric covering54. Of course, other suitable fastening means such as snapbuttons orties may be employed.

The lintel member is also disposed in a normally flat frontwardly-facingposition and cooperates with the jamb panels 18b to provide a similarlydisposed panel array. As best shown in FIG. 2, the lintel member 20comprises a centrally disposed flexible foam slab 62 enclosed within aremovable fabric covering 64. The foam slab 62 and fabric covering 64may be formed of the same materials as the foam slab 52 and fabriccovering 54. The foam slab 62 extends substantially across the entirewidth of the truck or vehicle receiving open- I posed adjacent eachlateral edge of the foam slab 62.

Each of the fabric bellows has a first lateral edge thereof sewn orotherwise connected to the associated lateral edge of the fabriccovering 64. The second lateral edge of each bellow is connected to alintel flap 72 which is hung from the angle member 24a and disposed overthe upper portion of the jamb panel Ma. The lintel flap 72 is secured tothe angle member by the same fasteners which support the panel 16a andit is provided with a plurality of mounting eyelets for receiving thebolts 50. A supplemental wear panel (not shown), essentially coextensivewith the flap 72 and similarly mounted, may be employed when additionalprotection against abrasive wear is desired.

lEach fabric bellow 70 comprises a plurality of accordionpleats 74 whichare joined together at the top edge 74a thereof, the bottom edge 74bbeing free to expand or open. The surfaces of the pleats 74 are nonnallydisposed in a transverse direction relative to the plane of the vehiclereceiving opening 22 and foam slab 62. Upon engagement with the top rearcorner portions of a vehicle body, the pleats are disposed rearwardlyalong arcuate paths and the fabric bellow fans inwardly to an openposition girdering the adjacent top corner portions of the vehicle.

it should be appreciated that the fabric bellow 70 and the lintel flap72 may be formed from a single piece of fabric having a plurality ofaccordion-pleats 74. For example, a single piece of fabric may beappropriately folded or pleated adjacent one lateral edge thereof, thefolded or pleated portion being thereafter sewn together along the topedges of the pleats or folds to retain such a configuration. Similarly,other types of fabric bellow configurations which are capable ofdisplaying extended or expanded surface extents may be employed.

Referring to H6. 11, closure support means 76 are provided adjacent eachof the lower extremities of the jamb members 16. The closure supportmeans '76 comprises a resilient foam slab or block 76 having arectangular cross section. The rear face 36 of the block is providedwith a planar configuration and it is arranged to work against thebuilding wall 112. The front face 62 of the block has an inclinedconfiguration which slopes inwardly towards the dock door 14 and it isarranged to cooperate with the jamb panel 16a when the latter isdeflected inwardly by a vehicle body.

The foam block 76 is supported in a pocket 84 which is sewn to the sidejamb panel 16b and utilizes a portion thereof to define a side wall ofthe pocket. The rear face of the pocket is closed and a tab 66 extendstherefrom which is designed to be secured to the building wall 12. Theopposite end of the pocket 64 is sewn to the fabric covering 54 of thejamb panel 1180.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the enclosure W and, more particularly, thenormally flat panel array comprised of lintel member 20 and jamb panels16a is illustrated in wedging-engagement with a truck or vehicle body68. The vehicle body is wedged through the truck receiving opening 22and the jamb members 16 and the lintel member 20 are sealingly engagedagainst the sides 90 and the top 92 of the vehicle body 88. Accordingly,a door opening 94 in the rear of the vehicle body 88 is disposedadjacent the dock door 14 without obstructions and vehicle bodyprojections, such as ledge 96, are not detrimental to the quality of theseal formed by the enclosure.

The lintel member 20 effectively seals the top corners of the vehiclebody. Specifically, the fabric enclosed foam slab 62 seals against thetop 92 of the vehicle and each of the fabric bellows 70 upon engagementwith the top comers of the vehicle body expands or fans inwardly tosealingly girder adjacent portions of the body. The fabric bellows 70are maintained in sealing engagement with the vehicle body by theflexible foam portions of the lintel and jamb members.

In contrast with prior art units, the jamb and lintel members of theenclosure do not result in concurrent or reactionary movement upondeflection so as to result in dependant movement of one of the memberswithout contact thereof by the vehicle body. Particularly, if one of thejamb or lintel members is deflected a greater distance than the other,the variance in deflection and movement is compensated for by expanisonof the bellows. A variance in deflection will generally arise when avehicle is misaligned so as to subject one of the jamb members 18 to agreater degree of deflection than the other jamb member.

The jamb members 18 are resiliently deflected inwardly uponwedging-engagement with the vehicle body 88 and a seal is formed alongthe sides 90 thereof. The jamb panel 180 tends to form an effective sealalong its entire vertical extent since it works off or against supportmeans located adjacent its upper and lower vertical extremities.Particularly, the jamb panel is resiliently supported adjacent its upperextremities by the cord loops 56 and at its lower extremities it worksagainst the closure support means 76. Of course, the resilience of theflexible foam slab 52 enhances the engagement of the side of the vehiclebody by the jamb panel along the entire vertical extent thereof.Similarly, the seal along the top portions of the vehicle is enhanced bythe foam slab 62. Consequently, the sealing engagement with the vehiclebody is of a degree characteristic of prior art dock door seal typeunits without detrimental engagement and deformation of the jambmembers. Further, such sealing engagement is accomplished without directcompression sufficient to transmit vertical loading to the jamb memberswhich results from a vertical movement of the vehicle body duringloading and unloading operations.

It should be appreciated that the closure 10 is designed to accommodatea relatively wide range of vehi cle sizes. Particularly, the truckreceiving opening 22 may be provided with a minimum dimension as it willbe, in effect, enlarged upon wedging-engagement with larger vehicles. Incontrast, prior art seal type units typically involve the use ofexpensive, adjustable supporting structures to cope with the range ofvehicle sizes encountered.

The invention is not restricted to the slavish imitation of each andevery one of the details described above, which have been set forthmerely by way of example with the intent of most clearly setting forththe teaching of the invention. Obviously, devices may be provided whichchange, eliminate, or add certain specific details without departingfrom the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A dock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedgethrough type forinstallation around a dock door opening in a building wall, including atop cover means, jamb and lintel members adapted to be hung from the topcover means and define a closure opening spaced outwardly and away fromthe building wall, and resilient lower support and closure meansassociated with the lower portion of each jamb, each jamb comprising apair of long flexible panels, a first panel of said pair being connectedto the building wall along a first lateral edge of the panel with saidfirst lateral edge extending vertically at one side of the dock dooropening, the panel being adapted to be hung from the top cover means andconnected to the panel s associated resilient lower support and closuremeans with the panel in sidewardly facing position so that the other orsecond lateral edge of the panel is spaced outwardly and stands wellaway from the building wall with the lower portion of the second lateraledge resiliently held away therefrom by the associated lower support andclosure means, said first and second panels of each said panel pairbeing connected along a connection locus at or adjacent said secondlateral edge of said first panel of the pair and at or adjacent a firstlateral edge of said second panel of the pair with the second panel innormally flat frontwardly-facing position and with the other or secondlateral edge of the second panel of each panel pair, together with thecorresponding second lateral edge of the second panel of the other panelpair, defining the minimum width of opening of the door seal, the secondpanel of each pair including means for resiliently biasing the panel toits flat condition, each of the lower support and closure meansincluding a jamb working face disposed adjacent the associatedconnection locus and the rearward surface of the associated second jambpanel, each of the second jamb panels being arranged to pivotsubstantially about its respective locus and jamb working face uponengagement with a truck or trailer and deflection towards the buildingwall, said jamb working face associated with the lower portion of eachjamb comprising a terminating surface of a foam block extending from thebuilding wall, the lintel comprising a flexible panel of fabric adaptedto be hung from the top cover in normally flat frontwardly-facingposition so as to laterally extend between one of said second jambpanels and the other to provide, together with the second jamb, anormally flat frontwardlyfacing panel array, and means for maintainingsubstantial closure of said panel array around the top outside rearcorners of a truck or trailer when the truck or trailer is wedged intosaid panel array to yieldingly partly inwardly bend or deflect thepanels of said array so that they engage against and maintainsubstantial closure with the sides and top of the truck or trailer.

2. A dock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedgethrough type forinstallation around a dock door opening in a building wall, including atop cover means, jamb and lintel members adapted to be hung from the topcover means and define a closure opening spaced outwardly and away fromthe building wall, and resilient lower support and closure meansassociated with the lower portion of each jamb, each jamb comprising apair of long flexible panels, a first panel of said pair being connectedto the building wall along a first lateral edge of the panel with saidfirst lateral edge extending vertically at one side of the dock dooropening, the panel being adapted to be hung from the top cover means andconnected to the panels associated resilient lower support and closuremeans with the panel in sidewardly facing position so that the other orsecond lateral edge of the panel is spaced outwardly and stands wellaway from the building wall with the lower portion of the second lateraledge resiliently held away therefrom by the associated lower support andclosure means, said first and second panels of each said panel pairbeing connected along a connection locus at or adjacent said secondlateral edge of said first panel of the pair and at or adjacent a firstlateral edge of said second panel of the pair with the second panel innormally flat frontwardly-facing position and with the other or secondlateral edge of the second panel of each panel pair, together with thecorresponding second lateral edge of the second panel of the other panelpair, defining the minimum width of opening of the door seal, the secondpanel of each pair including means for resiliently biasing the panel toits flat condition, said means for resiliently biasing said second panelof each said pair to its flat condition comprising a resilient foam slabcarried by the panel and substantially coextensive therewith, each ofthe lower support and closure means including a jamb working facedisposed adjacent the associated connection locus and the rearwardsurface of the associated second jamb panel, each of the second jambpanels being arranged to pivot substantially about its respective locusand jamb working face upon engagement with a truck or trailer anddeflection towards the building wall, the lintel comprising a flexiblepanel of fabric adapted to be hung from the top cover in normally flatfrontwardly-facing position so as to laterally extend between one ofsaid second jamb panels and the other to provide, together with thesecond jamb, a normally flat frontwardly-facing panel array, and meansfor maintaining substantialclosure of said panel array around the topoutside rear corners of a truck or trailer when the truck or trailer iswedged into said panel array to yieldingly partly inwardly bend ordeflect the panels of said array so that they engage against andmaintain substantial closure with the sides and top of the truck ortrailer.

3. A dock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedgethrough type forinstallation around a dock door opening in a building wall, including atop cover means, jamb and lintel members adapted to be hung from the topcover means and define a closure opening spaced outwardly and away fromthe building wall, and resilient lower support and closure meansassociated with the lower portion of each jamb, each jamb comprising apair of long flexible panels, a first panel of said pair being connectedto the building wall along a first lateral edge of the panel with saidfirst lateral edge extending vertically at one side of the dock dooropening, the panel being adapted to be hung from the top cover means andconnected to the panels associated resilient lower support and closuremeans with the panel in sidewardly facing position so that the other orsecond lateral edge of the panel is spaced outwardly and stands wellaway from the building wall with the lower portion of the second lateraledge resileintly held away therefrom by the associated lower support andclosure means, said first and second panels of each said panel pairbeing connected along a connection locus at or adjacent said secondlateral edge of said first panel of the pair and at or adjacent a firstlateral edge of said second panel of the pair with the second panel innormally flat frontwardlyfacing position and with the other or secondlateral edge of the second panel of each panel pair, together with thecorresponding second lateral edge of the second panel of the other panelpair, defining the minimum width of opening of the door seal, the secondpanel of each pair including means for resiliently biasing the panel toits flat condition, each of the lower support and closure meansincluding a jamb working face disposed adjacent the associatedconnection locus and the rearward surface of the associated second jambpanel, each of the second jamb panels being arranged to pivotsubstantially about its respective locus and jamb working face uponengagement with a truck or trailer and deflection towards the buildingwall, the lintel comprising a flexible panel of fabric adapted to behung from the top cover in normally flat frontwardlyfacing position soas to laterally extend between one of said second jamb panels and theother to provide, together with the second jamb, a normally flatfrontwardly-facing panel array, and means for maintaining substantialclosure of said panel array around the top outside rear comers of atruck or trailer when the truck or trailer is wedged into said panelarray to yieldingly partly inwardly bend or deflect the panels of saidarray so that they engage against and maintain substantial closure withthe sides and top of the truck or trailer, said means for majntainingsubstantial closure of said panel array around the top outside rearcorners of a truck comprising bellows between the said lintel panel andeach of the adjacent portions of the second jamb panels whereby thebellows fan inwardly to accommodate the inward bending or deflectionaway from each other of the panels of said array when a truck is wedgedinto said array.

1. A dock door closure as defined in claim 3 wherein said bellowscomprises a portion of fabric having a plurality of accordion pleats,said pleats being normally disposed in a direction transverse to theplane of said lintel panel.

5. A dock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedge through type forinstallation around a dock door opening in a building wall, including atop cover means, cooperating jamb and lintel members arranged to definea closure opening spaced outwardly and away from the building wall, andresilient jamb supporting means, each jamb comprising a pair of longflexible panels, a first panel of the pair being connected to thebuilding wall along a first lateral edge of the panel with said firstlateral edge extending vertically at one side of the dock door opening,the first panel being disposed in a sidewardly facing position so thatthe second lateral edge thereof is spaced outwardly and away from thebuilding wall, a second panel of each pair being resiliently supportedin a normally flat frontwardly-facing position within the plane of theclosure opening by said jamb supporting means and including means forresiliently biasing the panel to its normal position within the plane ofthe closure opening, the second panel of each pair being connected tothe first panel along a locus at or adjacent the second lateral edge ofthe first panel and at or adjacent a first lateral edge of the secondpanel, the jamb supporting means including jamb working faces associatedwith each of the second jamb panels adjacent the plane of the closureopening, each of the second panels being arranged to resiliently pivotsubstantially about its respective locus and jarnb working face upondeflection towards the wall and out of the plane of the closure opening,the lintel member comprising a flexible panel hung from the top covermeans and disposed in the plane of the closure opening so as tolaterally extend between the second jamb panels, expandable bellowsbetween the lintel panel and each of the adjacent portions of the secondjamb panels arranged to fan inwardly to accommodate relative movement ofthe panels away from each other upon their deflection out of the planeof the closure opening when a truck or trailer is wedged into theclosure, the closure being free of any rigid breakable memberssubstantially below the top cover means and substantially along theentire length of said loci whereby trucks or trailers can miss the dooropening by any amount on repeated occasions without substantial damageto said dock door closure.

6. A dock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedgethrough type forinstallation around a dock door opening in a building wall, including atop cover means, cooperating jamb and lintel members arranged to definea closure opening spaced outwardly and away from the building wall, andresilient supporting means, each jamb comprising a pair of long flexiblepanels, a first panel of the pair being connected to the building wallalong a first lateral edge of the panel with said first lateral edgeextending vertically at one side of the dock door opening, the firstpanel being disposed in a sidewardly facing position so that the secondlateral edge thereof is adjacent the plane of the closure opening, asecond panel of each pair being substantially supported in a normallyflat frontwardly-facing position within the plane of the closure openingby the jamb supporting means and including means for resiliently biasingthe panel to its normal position, the second panel of each pair beingconnected to the first panel along the second lateral edge of the firstpanel and an associated first lateral edge of the second panel adjacentthe plane of the closure opening, the jamb supporting means includingjamb working faces comprising terminating surfaces of foam blocksextending from the building wall and associated with each of the secondjamb panels adjacent the plane of the closure opening, each of thesecond panels being arranged to pivot substantially about the associatedlateral edges and the jamb working faces upon deflection towards thewall and out of the plane of the closure opening, the lintel membercomprising a flexible panel hung from the top cover means in the planeof the closure so as to laterally extend between the second jamb panels,the closure being free of any rigid breakable members substantiallybelow the top cover means whereby trucks or trailers can miss the dooropening by any amount on repeated occasions without substantial damageto the closure.

1. A dock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedge-through type forinstallation around a dock door opening in a building wall, including atop cover means, jamb and lintel members adapted to be hung from the topcover means and define a closure opening spaced outwardly and away fromthe building wall, and resilient lower support and closure meansassociated with the lower portion of each jamb, each jamb comprising apair of long flexible panels, a first panel of said pair being connectedto the building wall along a first lateral edge of the panel with saidfirst lateral edge extending vertically at one side of the dock dooropening, the panel being adapted to be hung from the top cover means andconnected to the panel''s associated resilient lower support and closuremeans with the panel in sidewardly facing position so that the other orsecond lateral edge of the panel is spaced outwardly and stands wellaway from the building wall with the lower portion of the second lateraledge resiliently held away therefrom by the associated lower support andclosure means, said first and second panels of each said panel pairbeing connected along a connection locus at or adjacent said secondlateral edge of said first panel of the pair and at or adjacent a firstlateral edge of said second panel of the pair with the second panel innormally flat frontwardlyfacing position and with the other or secondlateral edge of the second panel of each panel pair, together with thecorresponding second lateral edge of the second panel of the other panelpair, defining the minimum width of opening of the door seal, the secondpanel of each pair including means for resiliently biasing the panel toits flat condition, each of the lower support and closure meansincluding a jamb working face disposed adjacent the associatedconnection locus and the rearward surface of the associated second jambpanel, each of the second jamb panels being arranged to pivotsubstantially about its respective locus and jamb working face uponeNgagement with a truck or trailer and deflection towards the buildingwall, said jamb working face associated with the lower portion of eachjamb comprising a terminating surface of a foam block extending from thebuilding wall, the lintel comprising a flexible panel of fabric adaptedto be hung from the top cover in normally flat frontwardly-facingposition so as to laterally extend between one of said second jambpanels and the other to provide, together with the second jamb, anormally flat frontwardly-facing panel array, and means for maintainingsubstantial closure of said panel array around the top outside rearcorners of a truck or trailer when the truck or trailer is wedged intosaid panel array to yieldingly partly inwardly bend or deflect thepanels of said array so that they engage against and maintainsubstantial closure with the sides and top of the truck or trailer.
 2. Adock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedge-through type for installationaround a dock door opening in a building wall, including a top covermeans, jamb and lintel members adapted to be hung from the top covermeans and define a closure opening spaced outwardly and away from thebuilding wall, and resilient lower support and closure means associatedwith the lower portion of each jamb, each jamb comprising a pair of longflexible panels, a first panel of said pair being connected to thebuilding wall along a first lateral edge of the panel with said firstlateral edge extending vertically at one side of the dock door opening,the panel being adapted to be hung from the top cover means andconnected to the panel''s associated resilient lower support and closuremeans with the panel in sidewardly facing position so that the other orsecond lateral edge of the panel is spaced outwardly and stands wellaway from the building wall with the lower portion of the second lateraledge resiliently held away therefrom by the associated lower support andclosure means, said first and second panels of each said panel pairbeing connected along a connection locus at or adjacent said secondlateral edge of said first panel of the pair and at or adjacent a firstlateral edge of said second panel of the pair with the second panel innormally flat frontwardly-facing position and with the other or secondlateral edge of the second panel of each panel pair, together with thecorresponding second lateral edge of the second panel of the other panelpair, defining the minimum width of opening of the door seal, the secondpanel of each pair including means for resiliently biasing the panel toits flat condition, said means for resiliently biasing said second panelof each said pair to its flat condition comprising a resilient foam slabcarried by the panel and substantially coextensive therewith, each ofthe lower support and closure means including a jamb working facedisposed adjacent the associated connection locus and the rearwardsurface of the associated second jamb panel, each of the second jambpanels being arranged to pivot substantially about its respective locusand jamb working face upon engagement with a truck or trailer anddeflection towards the building wall, the lintel comprising a flexiblepanel of fabric adapted to be hung from the top cover in normally flatfrontwardly-facing position so as to laterally extend between one ofsaid second jamb panels and the other to provide, together with thesecond jamb, a normally flat frontwardly-facing panel array, and meansfor maintaining substantial closure of said panel array around the topoutside rear corners of a truck or trailer when the truck or trailer iswedged into said panel array to yieldingly partly inwardly bend ordeflect the panels of said array so that they engage against andmaintain substantial closure with the sides and top of the truck ortrailer.
 3. A dock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedge-through typefor installation around a dock door opening in a building wall,including a top cover means, jamb and lintel members adapted to be hungfrom the top cover means and define a closure opening spaced outwardlyand away from the building wall, and resilient lower support and closuremeans associated with the lower portion of each jamb, each jambcomprising a pair of long flexible panels, a first panel of said pairbeing connected to the building wall along a first lateral edge of thepanel with said first lateral edge extending vertically at one side ofthe dock door opening, the panel being adapted to be hung from the topcover means and connected to the panel''s associated resilient lowersupport and closure means with the panel in sidewardly facing positionso that the other or second lateral edge of the panel is spacedoutwardly and stands well away from the building wall with the lowerportion of the second lateral edge resileintly held away therefrom bythe associated lower support and closure means, said first and secondpanels of each said panel pair being connected along a connection locusat or adjacent said second lateral edge of said first panel of the pairand at or adjacent a first lateral edge of said second panel of the pairwith the second panel in normally flat frontwardly-facing position andwith the other or second lateral edge of the second panel of each panelpair, together with the corresponding second lateral edge of the secondpanel of the other panel pair, defining the minimum width of opening ofthe door seal, the second panel of each pair including means forresiliently biasing the panel to its flat condition, each of the lowersupport and closure means including a jamb working face disposedadjacent the associated connection locus and the rearward surface of theassociated second jamb panel, each of the second jamb panels beingarranged to pivot substantially about its respective locus and jambworking face upon engagement with a truck or trailer and deflectiontowards the building wall, the lintel comprising a flexible panel offabric adapted to be hung from the top cover in normally flatfrontwardly-facing position so as to laterally extend between one ofsaid second jamb panels and the other to provide, together with thesecond jamb, a normally flat frontwardly-facing panel array, and meansfor maintaining substantial closure of said panel array around the topoutside rear corners of a truck or trailer when the truck or trailer iswedged into said panel array to yieldingly partly inwardly bend ordeflect the panels of said array so that they engage against andmaintain substantial closure with the sides and top of the truck ortrailer, said means for maintaining substantial closure of said panelarray around the top outside rear corners of a truck comprising bellowsbetween the said lintel panel and each of the adjacent portions of thesecond jamb panels whereby the bellows fan inwardly to accommodate theinward bending or deflection away from each other of the panels of saidarray when a truck is wedged into said array.
 4. A dock door closure asdefined in claim 3 wherein said bellows comprises a portion of fabrichaving a plurality of accordion pleats, said pleats being normallydisposed in a direction transverse to the plane of said lintel panel. 5.A dock door truck-to-wall closure of a wedge through type forinstallation around a dock door opening in a building wall, including atop cover means, cooperating jamb and lintel members arranged to definea closure opening spaced outwardly and away from the building wall, andresilient jamb supporting means, each jamb comprising a pair of longflexible panels, a first panel of the pair being connected to thebuilding wall along a first lateral edge of the panel with said firstlateral edge extending vertically at one side of the dock door opening,the first panel being disposed in a sidewardly facing position so thatthe second lateral edge thereof is spaced outwardly and away from thebuilding wall, a second panel of each pair being resiliently supportedin a normally flat frontwardly-facing position within the plane of tHeclosure opening by said jamb supporting means and including means forresiliently biasing the panel to its normal position within the plane ofthe closure opening, the second panel of each pair being connected tothe first panel along a locus at or adjacent the second lateral edge ofthe first panel and at or adjacent a first lateral edge of the secondpanel, the jamb supporting means including jamb working faces associatedwith each of the second jamb panels adjacent the plane of the closureopening, each of the second panels being arranged to resiliently pivotsubstantially about its respective locus and jamb working face upondeflection towards the wall and out of the plane of the closure opening,the lintel member comprising a flexible panel hung from the top covermeans and disposed in the plane of the closure opening so as tolaterally extend between the second jamb panels, expandable bellowsbetween the lintel panel and each of the adjacent portions of the secondjamb panels arranged to fan inwardly to accommodate relative movement ofthe panels away from each other upon their deflection out of the planeof the closure opening when a truck or trailer is wedged into theclosure, the closure being free of any rigid breakable memberssubstantially below the top cover means and substantially along theentire length of said loci whereby trucks or trailers can miss the dooropening by any amount on repeated occasions without substantial damageto said dock door closure.
 6. A dock door truck-to-wall closure of awedge-through type for installation around a dock door opening in abuilding wall, including a top cover means, cooperating jamb and lintelmembers arranged to define a closure opening spaced outwardly and awayfrom the building wall, and resilient supporting means, each jambcomprising a pair of long flexible panels, a first panel of the pairbeing connected to the building wall along a first lateral edge of thepanel with said first lateral edge extending vertically at one side ofthe dock door opening, the first panel being disposed in a sidewardlyfacing position so that the second lateral edge thereof is adjacent theplane of the closure opening, a second panel of each pair beingsubstantially supported in a normally flat frontwardly-facing positionwithin the plane of the closure opening by the jamb supporting means andincluding means for resiliently biasing the panel to its normalposition, the second panel of each pair being connected to the firstpanel along the second lateral edge of the first panel and an associatedfirst lateral edge of the second panel adjacent the plane of the closureopening, the jamb supporting means including jamb working facescomprising terminating surfaces of foam blocks extending from thebuilding wall and associated with each of the second jamb panelsadjacent the plane of the closure opening, each of the second panelsbeing arranged to pivot substantially about the associated lateral edgesand the jamb working faces upon deflection towards the wall and out ofthe plane of the closure opening, the lintel member comprising aflexible panel hung from the top cover means in the plane of the closureso as to laterally extend between the second jamb panels, the closurebeing free of any rigid breakable members substantially below the topcover means whereby trucks or trailers can miss the door opening by anyamount on repeated occasions without substantial damage to the closure.